Enough Is Enough

Image - Levi Meir Clancy

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On the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, a synagogue in Manchester was violated; from a place of sanctity and peace to a crime scene. During the attack, two people were killed and three seriously injured, in what the Guardian is calling, the “most lethal attack on a synagogue in this country in modern times”.

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The attacker was 35 year old Jihad al-Shamie who lived near the synagogue and whose neighbours had previously reported concerns about his radicalisation to Greater Manchester Police. According to the BBC, a disturbing change in behaviour was witnessed during COVID-19. It is believed that during this time, he and his family were radicalised by Islamist extremism.

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Following the assault, a vigil was held for Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, who were killed whilst heroically protecting the synagogue. Mr Daulby was accidentally hit by police gunfire while preventing the attacker from gaining access to the synagogue, in what his family described as "an act of courage to save others". Mr Cravitz, who was a security guard, was killed as the attacker drove his van into the synagogue, remembered as a "kind, caring man". It is without doubt that these two men will go down in the history books as heroes in the eyes of the British Jewish community.

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Unfortunately, this horrific attack was not an isolated incident. It comes amid a surge of rising antisemitism in the UK, a 204% year-on-year increase according to CST, heightened by the growing tensions in the Israel-Palestine conflict. According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), in 2024, 83% of British Jews define antisemitism as a problem in Britain; the highest level since records began.

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It seems that the British Jewish population is paying the price for a conflict that is 3,228 miles away from home. Following the 7th of October 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, there have been 5,583 incidents in the UK – including abusive behaviour, threats, assaults, damage and desecration. This unjust reality exists regardless of individuals’ opinions on the conflict; it is not for being pro-Palestine or pro-Israel, it is simply for being born Jewish.

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Since the attack there has been an outcry from the Jewish community pleading for more; more action from politicians, the police and the wider British community. During the vigil, David Lammy faced shouts of anger from mourners for not taking antisemitism seriously enough. Cries from the crowd included chants of "shame on you" and "you have blood on your hands". Whilst Lammy faced the brunt of the frontline attacks, this was an angry message to all politicians; enough is enough.

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Under Corbyn’s Labour party (2015-2020), we saw a rise in antisemitism, leading to the resignations of seven Jewish Labour MP's. They condemned the party as "institutionally antisemitic" and created their own independent alliance. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) found that the party had committed three breaches of the Equality Act: political interference in anti-Semitism complaints, failure to provide adequate training to those handling anti-Semitism complaints and harassment. These damning reports sent a message to the Jewish community that antisemitism is not just rife but was ignored and accepted.

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Even with Starmer’s robust support for the Jewish community post-Corbyn, the Jewish community was still wounded. Starmer removed the whip from Corbyn following the EHRC report and, more recently, from Dianne Abbot twice, for her ignorant comments about prejudice against Jews in the UK.

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He also left Denmark early to show his adamant support for those who lost their lives. Unfortunately for Starmer, the damage had already been done. The Prime Minister is losing voters at an alarming rate, and he has now lost the support of yet another community that once trusted him.

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However, amid the grief, a glimmer of hope came from the Muslim community. Their overwhelming solidarity has reminded British Jews that they’re not alone. After all, with UK Islamophobic assaults surging by 73% in 2024, many Muslims have a deep understanding of the Jewish struggle. In an interview with Channel 4, Imam Sabah Ahmedi, a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, expressed this support: “it’s important we stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters in faith, in unity and solidarity”.

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Nevertheless, Jewish people are still left traumatised. The combined effect of rising antisemitism in daily life, the ignorance of politicians and finally, this awful terrorist attack has left the Jewish community in pieces. For a community that has dealt with hundreds of years of violence and hostility, expulsion and intolerance, this attack was a wake up call; you are not safe here. The violence, whilst only physically harming a minority, has traumatised an entire community for generations to come.

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Britain now has a choice: will it protect its Jewish population, or leave them behind?